Will Prime Minister François Bayrou manage to extricate himself, on Wednesday, May 14, from the turmoil of the Bétharram school abuse scandal, in which he has been ensnared since February? That day, Bayrou is due to be questioned by the Assemblée Nationale's inquiry commission looking into the acts of psychological, physical or sexual violence that had been committed at the private Catholic educational institution Notre-Dame de Bétharram, in southwest France, for over 50 years. Bayrou has been closely affected, as his eldest daughter is among the victims. After months of unconvincing, even contradictory responses about this "state scandal," as a source in Bayrou's entourage described it, the prime minister is taking the matter seriously and preparing diligently, reviewing "everything that has been said and written" about this "national education #MeToo," as the scandal has been dubbed by Education Minister Elisabeth Borne.

Bayrou has been accused of having lied to MPs, and will now be heard under oath by some of these national representatives. Indeed, his close associates now fear that his main adversary during the high-risk hearing will be himself, given how unpredictable Bayrou can be. "He mustn't get angry," said Marc Fesneau, a leader of Bayrou's centrist MoDem MPs in the Assemblée Nationale.

You have 85.18% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.